Bridgeport, Nebraska
"Trail City, USA"

Bridgeport, founded in 1900 as a station by the Burlington
Railroad, celebrated its centennial in 2000. The town is located
on or near many historic trails of the West, including the Oregon,
California. Mormon, Pony Express, and Sidney-Black Hills Trails.
Courthouse and Jail Rocks, south of Bridgeport, were landmarks
mentioned in many travelers' journals.

In 1876 Henry T. Clarke constructed a bridge across the North
Platte River, three miles upstream from the future site of Bridgeport,
to improve the trail from Sidney to the gold-mining towns of the
Black Hills. Freight from Sidney and gold from the mines flowed
across the bridge for nearly a decade. A village named Camp Clarke
sprang up nearby.

The coming of railroads to the North Platte Valley established
Bridgeport and brought increased settlement to the area. Irrigation
projects in the early 1900s promoted agricultural development.
Bridgeport became the seat of newly-designated Morrill County
in 1908. It remains a stable community, whose economy is based
on agriculture, railroads, and government.

Morrill County Visitors Committee
Nebraska State Historical Society
Near U.S. 385 / U.S. 26 Junction
Morrill County
Marker 418